Doll
by GilbertMcBritterz
Summary: Arthur Kirkland has no feelings. His mind and body have been numbed by Seven years alone, locked in a dark house. No one has even attempted to talk to him before, so it surprises Arthur when a young man reaches out, attempting to heal the broken soul. UKUS, rated for possible later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur sighed, running through the familiar motions of filling the tea pot with water, placing the pot, on the stove, and turning it on.

He didn't feel anything. There was no pain, or sadness. His mind was blank. There were no thoughts, nothing in his mind at all.

This house was his prison, and he could not leave.

Sure, his parents had died years ago, the people who forced his entrapment no longer keeping him where he was. But he no longer felt the need to leave the old, run down house.

Before his 7 years locked in the house, Arthur would have jumped at the sudden shrill noise from the teapot, and possibly made some weird noise or squeak of surprise. But he didn't react. He felt nothing. The Brit simply took the lid of the pot, and stuck a few tea bags into the water.

Arthur was currently, if his memoery served him well, 23 years of age. When he was sixteen, he might have been a bit of a punk, leading to trouble with the law that eventually led to his father locking him up in the house.

He poured the tea in a small tea cup, taking a sip of the boiling hot liquid. It scalded his throat, burning it as the tea slipped down his throat, but the left behind rawness was just another sensation. Arthur paid no mind to it.

The Brit went and sat by the window, exhaling softly once he was settled and peering out the window, around the thick curtains that blocked all light. The street stood empty, which made sense, seeing as it was most likely a Tuesday, meaning all the children would be at school, and the adults at work.

Right as Arthur was about to shut the blinds, a bit of movement caught his eye. There was a young man sitting in the grass of a yard across the street from Arthur's home. He was writing in some sort of notebook, from what Arthur could tell.

The man seemed to sense Arthur's emerald eyes on him, and looked up, his gaze meeting the Briton's for that brief moment, before Arthur closed the curtain, his heart oddly pounding in his chest. Arthur blinked, looking down at the skin of his chest, which was visible through the thin, pale yellow shirt he was wearing.

Why did he have that reaction? He hadn't felt anything like that in years, the darkness of his room had made sure of that.

Suddenly Arthur longed to be outside, to be able to truly and properly enjoy the bright sunshine that made the blonde outside seem more peaceful. That had made his hair shine almost golden.

He walked slowly towards the door, feeling more and more unexplainable fear and anxiety the closer he stepped to the dark, almost foreboding wooden door, that led outside, and to his freedom.

But yet again, he couldn't reach out, even to touch the doorknob. His hand and body were trembling at the thought.

He blinked, then turned to walk away. Arthur heard a soft thump, then quickly snatched the mail from it's place. He fled to the living room, then sat back in his chair. There were the normal bills, then one, extremely out of place, folded up piece of paper.

Arthur raised an eye brow, setting the bills off to the side and unfolding the paper.

_Ummm... Hey..._

_I'm not too sure what your name is... Francis told me I shouldn't want to know. Do you ever leave your house?_

_I don't think I've ever seen you come outside... How old are you? I'm 19. My name is Alfred F. Jones. I hope I'm not botherin' ya too much, I just thought you might want someone to talk to..._

_so yeah..._

_I hope you do answer this..._

_It'd be pretty cool to make a new friend..._

_Please write back soon._

_Hopefully your new best buddy,_

_Alfred F Jones._

Arthur felt his lips twitch slightly, up into a slight smile. Someone... wanted to talk to him... and be his friend... He grabbed a notepad from the shelf behind him, then suddenly realized just how dark the room really was, so he opened the curtains. The sunlight spilled into the room, revealing all of the dust that coated the furniture.

The young man, whom Arthur assumed was Alfred, was still sitting in the grass, laying back with what looked to be earphones in his ears. Every few seconds he glanced towards the house.

Arthur opened the notebook, and grabbed a pen, starting to write a reply to the young man named Alfred F. Jones.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur's pen flowed across the page skillfully, despite being alone and having no reason to write. He had secretly been writing letters, to virtually no one, but keeping them in his room, locked in there along with himself.

_Dear Alfred F. Jones._

_I don't find it bothersome that you wrote me..._

_In fact I quite like the idea of having a friend... or even just someone to talk to._

_I'm pretty sure I'm 23, And my name is Arthur Kirkland. I haven't left my home in Seven years._

_Maybe one day I'll tell you the story that goes along with that._

_To be honest, I would love to go outside, but my own fear keeps me from stepping outside the door. I've been in this house for a long time, and things have changed without me. It would be frightening to be suddenly thrown back into everyone's attention, and into all the technology that exists now..._

_Hopefully someone can help me break that fear._

_I kind of hope that someone will be you._

Arthur stared down at the paper, and before he could change his mind, his folded it up and ran to the door, slipping it through the mail slot so it would land on the front porch. Arthur's mind made the action seemed horrible, almost rebellious, but he pushed those thoughts away. He wasn't going to let the past get in his way now.

He could hear his father's voice though, cussing him out as he had the night Arthur had been caught by local authorities. He pushed that out of his mind, numbing himself once more against the unwanted images that haunted his mind.

Arthur went back to that same chair, surprised to see Alfred had disappeared. He saw the young man reappear moments later, walking from Arthur's front step to his own yard. It was interesting, to say the least, to watch someone just move about, especially someone as interesting as this Alfred F Jones.

Perhaps... they could grow to gain a friendship.

* * *

Two weeks past quickly, with the same routine of getting up, making tea, then going to sit in the chair by the window. Days passed quickly, much faster than The Briton was used to from the past seven years.

Alfred continued to write him letters, and Arthur soon learned that he was indeed 19, he worked as a kind of an in-house babysitter for the folks across the street, and he had a younger brother named Matthew.

Arthur could feel himself slowly waking up from his solitary years. Different things returned, slowly but surely. He had begun to feel sensations, begun to think again, and begun to feel.

His mind was filled with thoughts of the American, whom was currently playing with a small child in the yard across the way. The way his hair shone in the sunlight, and his smile... that was Arthur's favorite part. When Alfred smiled, Arthur couldn't help but smile himself, not minding if he saw.

His feelings... were another thing, they confused the Brit constantly. He had begun to feel a great desire to leave the house, even if just for a minute. He longed to smell the fresh air, compared to the damp, musky scent of the house he had grown accustomed to.

He wanted to hear the laughter that spilt from the American's lips, rather than even bother trying to imagine it. His mind had nowhere near enough imagination for that.

Arthur found himself watching as Alfred played with the small child, chasing them around the green grass and occasionally tickling them when he caught up. For someone so young, the child sure could run fast, Arthur briefly thought to himself, before his attention was caught by a car pulling up in front of the house. Alfred looked up, grabbing a hold of the wriggling child and seemed to answer the two men.

After a moment he shook his head, then pointed down the road. It must have been some soliciters or something. Arthur got up from his chair, and walked down the long hallway leading to the front door. Everyday, for the last two weeks, he had been able to move a little bit farther, take one step closer to that dreaded door.

Today Arthur walked right up to it, and put his hand on the door knob.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, then Arthur looked down at himself. " No... Not today." He mumbled. " Or at least... not yet." He backed away from the door, going upstairs to his room. He didn't want to look like a bum the first time he went outside. He quickly changed into a white dress shirt, and put a black vest on over that. His pants he dubbed fine, and he slowly wandered his way back downstairs and towards the door.

* * *

Today. It opened.

Arthur stood in the open doorway for a few moments, blinded by the sudden bright light. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, then looked down at them, realizing just how pale he really was. He shrugged slightly, then looked up. The car had gone from the road, Arthur could see it's tail lights leaving.

Alfred was still in the other yard. The child had disappeared, and Alfred laid in the grass of the yard. He was writing in a notebook, smiling softly. Arthur assumed he must be writing another letter to the Briton.

Alfred folded up the paper, then stood up, and started making his way toward the house, looking more at the ground then anything else. He looked up right before he reached the porch, emitting a small gasp. His eyes widened, and he stood frozen for a minute.

"Alfred?" Arthur questioned, looking over the blonde's face, now that he could see it closer for the first time. His eyes stood out the most. They were a dazzling, bright blue, sapphire-ish color. Arthur instantly loved them, possibly more than his smile.

Alfred laughed, almost disbelievingly. " A-Arthur?" He whispered in awe, looking over the British man. Arthur nodded, then broke out into a bright smile, suddenly realizing his feat. " I... I did it... I'm outside..."

Alfred nodded, smiling. " Ya did it Artie... Wow..."

Arthur blinked, looking down at his feet for a moment. " Alfred..." Alfred laughed. " Yeah?" The Brit then took his chance, leaning forward to quickly place a small kiss on Alfred's lips. He pulled back, then, his face burning, he retreated back into the house, leaving Alfred wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

* * *

...

finally...

I made a chapter longer than 700 words...

1,107 words...

finally...

I am now proud of myself for this feat.

And here's another chapter of Doll, since y'all seemed to like it so much.

Reviews, they keep me going ;)\


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur continued on as usual, acting as if he had never kissed Alfred. Of course for about a week after it happened, he stayed in the house and closed all the blinds. The house stayed shrouded in darkness for that week before Arthur started slowly opening it back up again.

He left the curtains in the front window after the seventh day, and on that same day, he took the small pile of letter Alfred had left him from the their place by the door, and put them in the drawer of the desk sitting in the corner of the living room.

It was then that he truly noticed the dust coating the furniture, and the cobwebs hanging in the corners. Arthur spent the next few days cleaning, aiming to rid the entire house of any speck of dust

The house felt more lively after the change. The air was much clearer, and easier to breath. Arthur began to open another curtain each day, letting in more sunlight, slow as the process was.

After about two weeks, Arthur finally took his chances approached the door, and made his way outside. Children played in the grassy yards, with parents watching over them. Arthur inhaled the fresh air from outside eagerly, closing his eyes for that brief moment.

His own yard was horrendous compared to those of his neighbors. The grass was about dead, and weeds sprouted up everywhere. Arthur made a small face, then went to sit on the front step.

Alfred wasn't outside today. Arthur figured it was because he was busy watching the child he looked after. The Brit could hear people whispering, talking about him, and they seemed to be looking at him, staring even.

The thought unsettled him, and he hated the feeling that everyone was watching him. Arthur got up, about to go inside when he heard a voice call out. " Hey! Artie!"

Arthur turned back to face Alfred, surprised by the sudden appearance. "Hello... Alfred..." He mumbled, starting to get that intense feeling of dread, and once again he had that mental image of his father cussing him out.

"A-Arthur? Are you alright?" Arthur felt Alfred's hand on his arm, and it was then that he realized he was trembling violently, his heart beat racing in his chest. " I-I... Can't... n-need to go back i-inside..." He mumbled, leaning Against Alfred slightly and closing his eyes.

Alfred swallowed and picked Arthur up, taking him inside and up to the Brit's room, following the mumbled directions given to him. Alfred went to lay Arthur on the bed, surprised when he kept his arms around the American's neck, causing Alfred to lose his balance, leaning over Arthur with his hands on either side of the British man's head.

Arthur sniffled slightly, leaning up to bury his face in the crook of Alfred's neck. " I-I feel like their haunting me..." He mumbled quietly. " My parents are still trying to ruin my life..."

Alfred sighing, laying next to Arthur on the bed and pulling him closer. "Shhh... It'll be fine, Artie..." He whispered comfortingly, rubbing small circles on Arthur's back with his thumb.

Arthur currently had mixed feelings. He hated the fact that he had broken down in front of Alfred, but he also loved how it felt to have Alfred's strong arms wrapped around him, and even just the small touch on his back was starting to drive him insane.

Arthur made a small noise of contentment in the back of his throat, snuggling a bit closer to Alfred. " Thank you..." He whispered softly, closing his eyes. Alfred's jaw twitched slightly, and he moved his head a bit, gently kissing Arthur's forehead. " No Problem."

Arthur smiled slightly, feeling himself start to drift off to slepp in the American's warm embrace, feeling safe and protected for the first time in a long while.


End file.
